In the Irkutsk region, more than 1.3 million rubles were allocated to develop the regional special library for the blind. The funds bought books on flash cards, electronic magnifiers, and tiflo flash players. Two specialized computer workstations were also set up so people with vision impairments can search, read, and share information independently. The new equipment has already expanded the circle of readers and made the librarys services more accessible to residents of the region.
More than 1.3 million rubles was allocated for the purchase of equipment and to ensure unhindered access for visually impaired people to the services provided by the regional special library for the blind. The funds were allocated as part of the implementation of the regional long-term target program “Accessible Environment for Disabled People and Other Mobility-Impaired Population Groups.”In particular, 423 copies of books on special media (flash cards) were purchased for 400 thousand rubles, modern technical devices for visually impaired people - electronic magnifying devices for 168 thousand rubles, as well as 23 special devices for reading “talking books” - “Tifloflashplayer” for 237 thousand rubles. As Alexey Makarov noted, the new books significantly expanded the number of readers, and modern means of obtaining information made it accessible to a larger number of visually impaired people in the Irkutsk Region. In addition, as part of the implementation of the program’s activities, two specialized computer workstations equipped with modern equipment and appropriate technical and software solutions were set up at the special library for the blind, allowing visually impaired people to independently use this equipment to search for, read, and exchange various information.
Recall that currently the regional special library for the blind of the Irkutsk Region serves 2,004 readers with visual impairments, including 1,295 of them who are served outside the city of Irkutsk. In 2012, as part of the implementation of the program’s activities, a library mobile unit was acquired, which made it possible to improve service efficiency and gave visually impaired people who, due to health conditions or advanced age, cannot visit the institution on their own, the opportunity to become library readers. As the library director Valentina Lapteva reported, this year the library mobile unit made trips to Usolye-Sibirskoye, Angarsk, and Cheremkhovo, where work was carried out with readers and specialists were trained to work with the new equipment.
Based on materials from the press service of the Government of the Irkutsk Region